79173Artists OnlineClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UK**Covid-19 has destroyed markets for artists and makers** - predominantly sole traders, throughout the UK. This has been particularly true of artists based in tourist areas. In these locations the usual outlets - small galleries,cafes,summer shows etc have not been available. Even when tourists return many of these exhibition spaces will not. The specific aim of this project is to create **a new digital support network for artists and makers**(incl. visual artists, illustrators,craft makers,ceramicists,photographers etc.), whose route to market has been devastated by COVID-19\. This will be achieved by a survey of artists, the building of an online service, UX exercises, SEO optimisation,and web-based marketing to provide new opportunities for sole traders and micro-companies in the arts and maker sector. **" Despite a rapidly growing volume in sales in the last 10 years, the art market has lagged behind other industries in terms of online share by value, and price levels...**" (The Global Art Market 2020: UBS,2020). With respect to inclusion **Artists Online is launching in a predominately rural area**, and a geographically challenging part of the South West of England. This pilot project can act as a potential national support network for dispersed and diverse communities across the UK. Artists and makers face restrictions on their potential income from **a lack of time, and financial resources**. The average artists income from their art practice was £6,020 in 2017\. While 7% earned more than £20,000; 66% of artists earned less than £5,000 from their art practice; 36% earned less than £1,000 and 69% had other jobs. (Livelihood of Artist:tbr, Dec 2018) Artists and makers in rural areas face **additional problems** e.g extra travel costs, poor networking, the lack of local support or any national voice (Creative Freelancers: CIF, 2017). In addition, national business support schemes have consistently failed to reach this sector of the UK economy.(7 Steps to Increasing IP Content Investment: BCre8ive. July 2020.) An online solution not only provides new routes to market, new sector specific business support, and minimises the artists need for additional resources, but it also **decarbonises** much of the existing routes and services i.e. less travel,transporting of work, gallery space, etc.. Existing online services take the form of online galleries e.g. Saatchi Art, arts markets e.g. Artsy and artist's own websites. None of these provides the range of services required for individual artists to scale up,and reach new markets on their own **BCre8ive and Netready, two UK based companies**, have worked over the last eight years on building and running innovative online support for emerging talent working with Warp Films, Aardman Animation and SelfMadeHero. The future ambition of the project is to **increase the share of global sales** by UK based artists and makers. Craft goods worth £4.84bn were exported from the UK in 2017\. "Arts and Crafts market size will expand to reach US$46,600m(_£36,611m_) by 2025." (Global Arts and Crafts Market Report 2020: HTF Market Intelligence, July 2020)